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German-Polish European Dialogue German-Polish European Dialogue German-Polish European Dialogue Views and reflections of Polish-German experts illustrate a substantial overlap of interests on specific issues between Poland and Germany and they submit that some of them may be partially resolved or kept “under control” without causing unnecessary damage. Adam Balcer (ed.) FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 1 Editor: Adam Balcer The publication was prepared in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw Graphic design and DTP by Temperówka Studio English proof-reading: Iwona Reichardt © Copyright by WiseEuropa Opinions included in the publication are private reflections of their authors. WiseEuropa does not bear any responsibility for them. ISBN: 978-83-64813-37-5 Adam Balcer (ed.) German-Polish European Dialogue Warsaw 2018 About The Heinrich Böll Foundation The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a German Green political foundation that works through 32 offices in over 60 countries in the spheres of democracy, education, sustainable development, and cross-cultural understanding. Our patron, the writer and Nobel Prize laureate Heinrich Böll, personified the ideas we stand for: the defence of freedom, civic courage, tolerance, and open debate. Since 2002 the Warsaw Office has been promoting open dialogue between society, politics, business, and science. Within the Democracy & Human Rights programme we back social changes promoting equal rights and opportunities for all regardless of one’s background, gender, sexual orientation or religion. We place spe- cial importance on the effective functioning of public institutions and civic participation. The International Policy programme supports Polish-German cooperation concerning the future of the European Union, its role in the global arena, as well as transatlantic relations. Through various projects we create a space needed for the discussion of the development of a common European foreign and security policy. Our Energy & Climate programme aims to intensify discourse about the challenges presented by energy transformation and climate change. We focus on long-term ecological modernisation and energy con- cepts that guarantee socio-economic development, a clean and healthy environment, security, as well as consumer protection. The European Agricultural Policy programme intends to invigorate the discussion on a reformed Common Agricultural Policy post 2020. We foster European networks and support the vision of CAP that favours socially fair, environmentally sustainable and economically viable development of rural areas. The activities of The Heinrich Böll Foundation can be followed online on Facebook (HBS Warszawa), Twitter (Boell_PL), www.pl.boell.org and Issuu, while video and audio recordings are available on YouTube and Mixcloud. About WiseEuropa WiseEuropa Institute is an independent Polish think-tank, undertaking a strategic reflection on European politics, foreign policy and economy. WiseEuropa intends to stimulate and inspire the public debate on the future of Poland and Europe. The mission of WiseEuropa is to improve the quality of Polish and European policy-making as well as the overall business environment by promoting the use of sound economic and institutional analysis, inde- pendent research and evidence-based approach to impact assessment. We are committed to an active and dedicated role of Poland; to an open, sustainable, democratic and competitive development of Europe; and to constructive transatlantic cooperation on global issues. We are convinced that within a free society all important public decisions must be preceded by a deta- iled and comprehensive deliberation. WiseEuropa offers a wide range of analytical, research, consulting and communication services and spe- cializes in such subjects as: European and global political and economic affairs, National macroeconomic, industrial, energy and institutional policies, Digital economy and innovativeness, Social and labour market policies. Adam Balcer Political scientist, expert in the area of the Black Sea region and the Polish foreign policy. He works also as National Researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Lecturer at the Centre of East European Studies (SEW) at the Warsaw University and Diplomatic Academy. He cooperates with Batory Foundation and journal “Nowa Europa Wschodnia”. Expert at the Department of Central Europe of Balkan section (2001-2009) and Project Leader of the “Turkey after the launch of EU accession negotiations – foreign policy and internal affairs” project at the Centre for Eastern Studies (2005-2009). In the period of 2009- 2013 Program Director for “Enlargement and Neighborhood” project at demosEUROPA-Centre for European Strategy. Member of the Advisory Group to the Committee of Foreign Relations at the Polish Parliament (2010-2012). Adviser at the Presidential Expert Programme (2013-2015). In 2015 he was director of annual conference “Polish Eastern Policy”- the largest event in Poland dedicated to the Eastern Europe. Author of numerous articles and reports and co-author of the books “Polska na globalnej szachownicy” (Poland on the global chessboard) and “Orzeł i Półksiężyc. 600 lat polskiej publicystyki poświęconej Turcji” (The Eagle and the crescent. 600 years of Polish publications about Turkey.) German-Polish European Dialogue Adam Balcer, Krzysztof Blusz 9 Into the unknown: German-Polish relationship in the EUropean context at the beginning of 2018 9 The rule of law and identity 10 Germany as an (imaginery) threat 12 What’s next? 12 The Weimar Triangle 14 The future of the “Weimar Triangle” Adam Balcer 14 Audi alteram partem Andrzej Byrt 15 The Weimar Triangle after the French elections: A new opening? Barbara Kunz 17 The Transatlantic Relationship 19 Poland, Germany and the Transatlantic value chains Adam Balcer 19 When Worlds Collide: President Trump, Chancellor Merkel and conflicting concepts of the West Jana Puglierin 20 Polish-German support for the reestablishment of Transatlantic community Marcin Kędzierski 22 The Eurozone and the Single Market 24 Germany and Poland under the umbrella of the Single Market Adam Balcer 24 How can the EU single market and cohesion policy be saved? Józef Niżnik 25 The Europe that emerges from behind the curtain Klaus Bachmann 27 The Rule Of Law 29 A Lawless Europe? Poland on a collision course with the EU (including Germany) Adam Balcer 29 Permissiveness or Consistency? Democratic cutbacks in Member States vs. the unity of the EU Kai Olaf Lang 30 The end of Rechtsstaat? Rule of law in Poland and in the European Union Adam Bodnar 32 European Values 34 Diverging European identities and value Adam Balcer 34 Leviathan enchained: EU’s value enforcement deficit Josef Janning 35 Identity matters! Marek Cichocki 37 Russia 39 Similarities above differences: Poland and Germany in EU front against aggressive Russia Adam Balcer 39 EU policy toward Russia under the EU sanctions – responsibility, risk taking, rules and resources Ernest Wyciszkiewicz 40 We and Europe: EU-Russia relations in times of crisis Gabriele Freitag 42 German-Polish European Dialogue German-Polish European Dialogue Into the unknown: German-Polish relationship in the EUropean context at the beginning of 2018 Adam Balcer, Krzysztof Blusz1 If one wanted to appreciate the complexity and multidimensionality of the present-day German- Polish relationship one would immediately discover how deeply “the bilateral” entangles with the “the European” in this liaison. It is for this reason, the German-Polish relationship needs to be placed in a wider European context if it is to be scrutinized rigorously. It is not only the relevance of both countries for the EU due to their size and political or economic power, but the importance of their bilateral relationship for Europe that counts. Indeed, Germany is the largest Eurozone country (in terms of size of the economy, its population, etc.) while, in the aftermath of Brexit, Poland is set to acquire a position of the biggest non-Eurozone EU member state. The bilateral trade between Poland and Germany reached the level of approx. 110 billion USD in 2017. Thus, their trade turnover accounts for the fifth largest bilateral trade volume amongst the EU member states. Still , Poland may soon stand a chance to surpass Italy on the list of the top Germany’s trade partners. If this happens, and in the absence of the British, Poland may become for Germany the third biggest trade partner in the EU. Similarly, the German direct investment in Poland has raised spectacularly in recent years. It has become one of the biggest FDI stocks between two EU countries ever. Against the EU’s backdrop, Poland and Germany are also highly entangled within the social dimension. Almost two million persons of Polish origin live in Germany, a phenomena that accounts for the second biggest diaspora in the EU country. Simultaneously, not less than 15 per cent of the German population originates historically from Poland. When measured in abso- lute numbers, it also is a unique case in Europe. When, in June 2017, WiseEuropa Institute with the Heinrich Böll Foundation, initiated a “German- -Polish European Blog” we were specifically interested in two key questions: • What was the vision of Europe in the foreign policies of Poland and Germany? • What were the major opportunities, barriers and risks to a Polish – German cooperation within and in the EU? 1 Adam Balcer, Project Manager at WiseEuropa, Krzysztof Blusz, Senior Fellow at WiseEuropa 9 German-Polish European Dialogue A series
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